海角大神

While Russian tourists have always had a multitude of reasons to visit Armenia, a new and unexpected attraction has been drawing them here lately.

Instead of coming to see the natural sights or enjoy the cuisine, globe-trotting Russians are here in increasing numbers to get vaccinated 鈥� not for medical reasons, but for bureaucratic ones.

Because of the general lack of recognition of Russia鈥檚 Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine outside Russia鈥檚 borders and the unavailability of foreign vaccines within them, Russians who need regular access to the rest of the world are making treks to countries like Armenia to get Western-approved vaccines听鈥� and more importantly, their associated paperwork.

Far more than an inconvenience, it鈥檚 a hurdle that appears less rooted in scientific evidence than in political and diplomatic sparring 鈥� and one that could have significant implications at a time of deep and ongoing tensions between Moscow and the West.听The Russians who would be cut off from Europe and the United States without such certification represent a critical bridge of communication between the two sides. And a rift between Russia and the West caused by vaccines could magnify an already tense situation.

The vaccinated getting vaccinated

The vast majority of Russians making the trip to Armenia or other vaccine havens like Croatia, Serbia, and Turkey have already gotten vaccinated back home with Russia鈥檚 own Sputnik V, which became available last year. But while Sputnik appears to be effective, it鈥檚 an international bureaucratic quagmire.

Only Russia and a few other countries recognize Sputnik, whatever its scientific merits. But foreign vaccines are also, for no good scientific reason, unavailable in Russia. That鈥檚 a real problem for the very large numbers of Russians who have family, business, studies, or other connections in the West, and want to travel without facing constant and expensive PCR tests, lengthy quarantines, and, sometimes, inability to even board a plane.

That鈥檚 where countries like Armenia come in. Armenia not only admits Russians visa-free and recognizes Sputnik vaccinations, but also provides Russians (and Russian residents, like this correspondent) with access to Western vaccines. Tens of thousands of Russians have already made the trek to vaccine havens, say travel agents. Organized tours that include transportation, accommodation, and a clinic appointment are doing a roaring business.

鈥淭ours to get a European vaccine are tremendously popular right now,鈥� says Ivetta Verdiyan of the BSI Group, a leading travel operator. 鈥淎 lot of people were used to being able to travel around the world, and when this pandemic hit they found very many countries unavailable for them.听If you don鈥檛 have an EU or WHO approved vaccination, you can鈥檛 go. Or you must isolate for a long time, have to do frequent tests, and can鈥檛 get the QR code that enables you even to visit a coffee shop sometimes. The situation can change at any time. So, serious people with travel plans want to make sure they have the right papers, because no one knows when the Russian vaccine will be recognized鈥� in the West, she says.

Maria Podolskaya is a Russian journalist who lives in Britain, but travels often to Moscow to see her mother. She says she endured a gauntlet of obstacles, including mandatory isolation and expensive tests, until she hit upon the obvious solution: She got double-vaccinated, and now has valid documents from both sides.

鈥淚 got Pfizer in Britain, and Sputnik-lite in Moscow,鈥� she says. 鈥淣ow there are very few problems. Basically, I present my QR codes when registering for a flight, and that鈥檚 it. I鈥檓 good in both places.鈥�

Andrei Kolesnikov, an analyst with the Carnegie Moscow Center, says it鈥檚 a widely shared problem among his colleagues. 鈥淲e are think-tankers, and we need to travel. We have invitations to attend conferences and other exchanges.鈥澨齅r. Kolesnikov is a top expert on Russian politics, and the obstacles he faces in conducting dialogue with his international counterparts can鈥檛 be a good thing in these vexed times. 鈥淏ut regulations are different everywhere, and difficult everywhere,鈥� he says.

An 鈥渁bsurd鈥� situation?

The mutual refusal between Russia and the West to recognize each other鈥檚 vaccines does not seem to have its roots in scientific judgment on either side. And there seems to be at least some political sniping involved. Russian officials have repeatedly accused the West of blocking Sputnik in an effort to protect Western vaccine-makers鈥� profit margins.

But Michael Favorov, a former Soviet scientist who immigrated to the U.S. three decades ago, and then worked as an epidemiologist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention听for 25 years, says that different regulatory systems and perceptions, not bad vaccines, have led to the current problems.

鈥淪putnik is OK. It鈥檚 a good vaccine,鈥� says Mr. Favorov, who is听now president of DiaPrep System Inc., a public health consultancy based in Atlanta, Georgia. He says he has studied a lot of Russian data about the uptake of Sputnik over the past year, and is satisfied that the vaccine is at least as effective as most others.

The issue, he says, is that Russian institutes and industry use different standards than Western ones 鈥� creating a kind of scientific cultural gap听鈥� and discrepancies have appeared in Russian production facilities.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not about the design of the vaccine, which is fine,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a matter of regulation and certification, which is different in every country. ... The Russians, of course, say the [refusal to recognize Sputnik in the West] is due to commercial competition. That鈥檚 not true. But people take from these problems the conclusion that Sputnik is a bad vaccine. That鈥檚 not true either.鈥�

Experts say some progress has been made toward registering outside vaccines in Russia, including a Chinese one and the British-Swedish AstraZeneca. Russia鈥檚 Ministry of Health recently said it might start accepting antibody tests from foreign residents and travelers, but not their Western vaccine credentials.

鈥淭his is classic Putin-style whataboutism,鈥� says Mr. Kolesnikov. 鈥淚t鈥檚 鈥榯hey don鈥檛 recognize our vaccine, and until they do we won鈥檛 recognize theirs.鈥� It鈥檚 a big political race.鈥�

Larisa Popovich, a public health expert with the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, says the situation is 鈥渁bsurd,鈥� and it causes unnecessary hardships for many Russians.

鈥淏oth sides should have gotten over themselves and found a way to recognize each other鈥檚 vaccines a long time ago. We have been trying to find out what is the matter for quite a while. Foreign agencies say it鈥檚 about discrepancies in regulatory documentation, while the Russian side says it鈥檚 inspired by political and competitive motives.鈥�

According to the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which controls the international rights for Sputnik, the vaccine is now registered in 71 countries and over 100 million people have received it worldwide.

鈥淧robably if the general climate between our countries were better, these problems would have been solved by now. Let鈥檚 hope the adults will take over and deal with this,鈥� says Ms. Popovich.

Editor's note: The story has been updated to correct the spelling of Ivetta Verdiyan's surname.